Another way to build open source databases

The most common way to dismiss open source databases like mySQL has been to note their lack of sophisticated analysis tools. The idea is that they haven't grown up, that they're not mature.

Rather than build such tools into each open source database, the Open Database Model hopes to create the sophistication, so all databases can be enterprise-class.

All this is based on the Data Model Resource Book (above), first published in 1997 and written by Len Silverston, Bill Inmon and Kent Graziano.

By building a set of common industry practices and making them all open source, the ODBM model lets all open source data sets grow from a higher base.

To make that happen, ODBM-certified and ODBM-compliant marks are being developed to show when an open source database is ready to use the new power.

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